Shen Yue had her breakfast at a roadside stall, buying two steamed buns to fill her stomach. She caught the bus and arrived at the cafe ten minutes early.
After changing into her work uniform, she started working diligently.
By noon, there were more customers, and she was so busy she barely had time to drink a sip of water.
After a busy day, Shen Yue finished work before it was dark.
Thinking she still had time, she grabbed a shared bicycle and went for a ride.
The pedestrian traffic was heavy at this time. Shen Yue felt unlucky when the shared bike ran out of power halfway through, and there were no other shared bikes in sight. She had no choice but to walk.
The autumn wind felt cool and somewhat pleasant against her face.
The scenery in the city park was beautiful. The trees' leaves seemed like burning flames, multicolored and swaying gracefully, dazzling the eyes.
The air seemed to be filled with the scent of decaying dead leaves.
From a distance, Shen Yue thought the scenery looked nice. As she walked closer, there was a road with a red light, and she waited patiently.
While waiting for the red light, Shen Yue saw a black luxury car on the opposite side of the road.
What was even more dazzling than the car was the man.
Xie Jiangsheng was wearing only a white shirt, his posture casual. One button of his shirt was undone, and his well-defined fingers held a phone to his ear, his expression indifferent.
He was on the phone.
The light turned green, and Shen Yue crossed the road. After a moment's thought, she walked towards Xie Jiangsheng.
Xie Jiangsheng's features were refined and elegant, yet he exuded an air of approachability, a natural pressure and distance that belonged to someone in a superior position. Even the faint smile that often played on his lips couldn't dispel it.
After finishing his call, he lowered his head, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.
Xie Jiangsheng sensed someone approaching him but showed no reaction.
Not until the person was right in front of him did a woman's soft, gentle voice, like spring water, reach his ears.
"Mr. Xie."
A familiar voice, an unfamiliar title.
Xie Jiangsheng's eyelids flickered. His expression was hidden in the smoke, only his voice penetrating, betraying no discernible emotion, "Something wrong?"
There wasn't anything specific, but seeing that Xie Jiangsheng seemed to be in some difficulty, she had walked over. After all, Xie Jiangsheng was her benefactor, and she couldn't pretend not to see him.
Shen Yue pursed her lips, smiling, her dimples shallow. "Mr. Xie, are you encountering any problems?"
The dusk's glow wasn't glaring. It shot down through the gaps in the branches and maple leaves. The woman's skin was fair and luminous. Her slender, graceful neck was visible beneath the clean, neat neckline, with delicate collarbones peeking out.
Xie Jiangsheng's throat felt dry. His dark gaze lingered covertly on her neck and collarbones.
She appeared before him without any pretense, without a desperate plea or selfish desire.
Like a pear blossom touched by rain, she was transparent, clean, and spotless.
It was strange. His desires were usually shallow, yet Shen Yue could so easily stir the desires that had been dormant within him for a long time, making them unstoppable.
Xie Jiangsheng exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. Beneath his refined exterior was an uncontainable indifference.
"The car broke down."
Shen Yue nodded. The atmosphere fell silent. Feeling a bit awkward, the tips of her ears, like white jade, blushed slightly. Her voice, soft and low, said, "Mr. Xie, the scenery in this park looks nice. Would you like to take a walk and look around together?"
Xie Jiangsheng flicked the ash off his cigarette. He lifted his half-closed eyelids and let his gaze linger on the woman's face for a long time. Only after making her blush profusely did he slowly withdraw his gaze.
He quietly finished the cigarette, then crushed it and threw it into the trash can. He turned his head and looked at the woman, who was timidly staring at him.
His voice was hoarse from just finishing his cigarette.
"Let's go."
And so, the two most familiar strangers walked in the park, separated by half an arm's length.
Fallen leaves carpeted the ground, like a colorful blanket spread over the earth.
Stepping on them made a creaking sound.
Neither of them spoke, but the atmosphere was no longer awkward.
Xie Jiangsheng had one hand in his pocket, his figure tall and straight. Amidst the strange silence, he suddenly spoke.
"You're stalking me, aren't you?"
Shen Yue, who had been watching the small sparrows on the branches, was startled by his inexplicable words and didn't answer immediately.
Xie Jiangsheng wasn't even looking at her as he spoke, his gaze fixed ahead. His features were refined and indifferent, his skin cold and pale, and even a faint smile played on his lips, as if discussing a perfectly normal topic.
"You didn't actually lose your memory, did you?"
One question after another left Shen Yue bewildered. Her face turned pale, but she kindly explained, "Mr. Xie, I don't quite understand what you're saying."
"You don't need to pretend in front of me." The man, who hadn't looked at her at all from the beginning, finally turned his head and looked at her calmly. His deep, dark eyes held a chilling coldness that made it almost impossible to look at him directly.
"Is this your new tactic?"
The more Shen Yue listened, the more confused she became. Her long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly, and her voice became weak, "Mr. Xie, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Xie Jiangsheng paused. He was merely trying to provoke Shen Yue, still not believing she could have amnesia.
How could there be such a coincidence?
She happened to have amnesia, the job she found was in a cafe near his company, and she happened to run into him after his car broke down.
Besides coincidence, he believed it was orchestrated.
However, Shen Yue's expression made him hesitate.
He truly hated things that were beyond his control.
Xie Jiangsheng stopped walking and looked down at Shen Yue, his gaze growing colder, his tone still gentle and polite. "I hope you can reduce the frequency of your appearances before me, otherwise, this behavior could easily lead me to misunderstand me."
Shen Yue was taken aback. It took her a great effort to understand what he meant. She couldn't quite describe her feelings, only that she was confused and perplexed by Xie Jiangsheng's attitude.
Didn't Mr. Xie say they were friends? And that he kindly paid her medical expenses? If so, why did he seem to dislike her so much?
Given that Xie Jiangsheng had paid for her medical expenses, she could only vaguely ask him.
"Mr. Xie, did I do something to anger you in the past? You... you seem to really dislike me."
Otherwise, why would he hate her so much?
The woman's voice was soft and weak, like a pear blossom swaying in the wind, innocent and foolish.
"Aren't we friends?"
She thought she had asked indirectly and subtly, carefully probing, as if afraid of angering Xie Jiangsheng.
But Shen Yue never expected his reaction to her question.
The man, who had been calm and elegant, changed his expression in an instant the moment Shen Yue asked that question.
That kind of expression was something Shen Yue couldn't describe. Ah, ah, ah, ah.